Storm on the Horizon
by Ranger-8
Summary: A fairly straight re-telling of the events transpiring in Earth Defense Force 4.1. Focus on weird tactics, snarky banter, and O'hara being amazed by things. In other words, a fairly straight re-telling of the events transpiring in EDF4.1.


**We Have To Fight**

**Reverse Bomber**

Amount Healed: 300×10

Zoom: 8×

Spray Count: 5

An upgraded Reverse Shooter. Emits capsules that explode on impact, dispersing the nanomachines inside. It has a large dispersal area due to the blast. More nanomachines in each capsule means greater recovery and a wider radius, but its firing distance is quite short. Since nanomachines are difficult to produce, however, this equipment is still very limited in quantity and cannot be reloaded.

* * *

February 28th, 2018

Storm-1 and Ranger-8 marched towards their final battle. Humanity's final battle.

Ranger-8 was a small troop consisting of only eight soldiers. Not much more could be expected from the Earth Defense Force anymore. Only the Japanese division remained, and even most of that had seen crushing losses again and again.

The other troop, Storm-1, consisted of only two men. In the legends surrounding them, they were a singular super soldier who would dodge every shot, headshot every robot. Countless soldiers have sacrificed themselves to protect them from insurmountable odds. The guilt was heavy on their shoulders, but not as heavy as the responsibility.

No matter what, they had to live up to the legend. It was the only hope humanity had left.

"I didn't know there'd be two of you.", the youngest Ranger-8 member spoke up. The soldier next to him made a gesture to shut up.

"Oh, we get that a lot." Storm 1's second member smiled. "Captain Masaru here is the real Storm-1. The Storm-2 troop has been long since wiped out, so we sometimes use that designation for me."

"They say you come back alive from every mission!" the young trooper blurted excitedly.

"So do you.", replied Storm-2 warmly.

"What makes you say that?"

"You're not dead."

* * *

The mothership loomed in the skies at the outskirts of Tokyo. Drones buzzed around it like angry, defensive hornets. Scattered around it were a few smaller transport ships, ready to resupply the battlefield with 'Hector' walking arms. The hectors were in sleeping mode, as the small infiltration team had yet to be spotted.

Hiding in the shadows of one of the few intact building blocks left in the area, Storm-1 and Ranger-8 discussed their next move.

"I brought dear Lysa, and that fancy healing juice from R&D.", Masaru gestured at his Lysander. It was a massive, bolt-action, anti-tank rifle. Normally physics would call bullshit on the whole concept of the rifle, but the insanely overbudgeted Research and Development section of EDF had managed to quickly retrofit otherwordly Ravager technology into this monster. It took a strong soldier at least three seconds to pull back the bolt for a new shot, but the power of each bullet was enough to tear through almost anything.

"That stuff is going to give you three nipples and ball cancer.", Storm-2 pointed at the nanomachine launcher in Masaru's other hand.

"That's right.", he barked back, laughing. "These nanites are the only reason we might be able to live long enough to die of cancer." Masaru holstered his weapons again, and lit a cigarette.

"So what's your plan?", Masaru continued, after a good puff.

Storm-2 rooted through his pockets, producing some photos and schematics. "I've been looking through the data we acquired from when that mothership leveled most of central Tokyo." He pointed at a blurry photo of an enormous protrusion that poked out through the bottom of the mothership, now absent from the actual mothership hovering in the sky.

"We call it the Genocide Cannon. It's so huge it seems to take up half the volume of the motherhip." Storm-2 made measuring gestures with his fingers to illustrate his point, then pointed at the cannon's base, just at the bottom of the mothership. "These parts at the shaft here looks like a structural weakness, for a given definition of weakness."

Masaru nodded impatiently. "Then that's where I shoot it?"

"I don't think that's going to be enough. You didn't dent it last time, even with that ridiculous rifle of yours." Storm-2 interjected. "However, I brought enough plastic explosives to level this district." He turned to the young Ranger-8 member. "Arata?"

"Oh!" Arata quickly unfastened his exceptionally heavy backpack and handed it over carefully. "Are you guys really going to use these? How are you going to plant these on a flying object?"

"Over here." Storm-2 whispered, leading the soldiers through an alleyway. It opened up into a small park where a beat up Bazelart helicopter was landed. "I saw it on the satellite photos. It looks like it can still take off."

Storm-2 gestured between the helicopter and the mothership, then back to the picture of the Genocide Cannon. "As soon as it exposes the cannon, I'll fly over to it, then you should be able to jump out and land on one of those protruding catwalk-like things, run up to the shaft, cover it in C70, and hopefully that'll inflict enough damage to take it down."

Storm-1 looked Storm-2 sternly in the eyes. "And how do I get back in the helicopter after that?"

The Ranger-8 members looked worried at eachother, then to Storm-2, waiting for an answer. Storm-2 only shook his head.

"I see." Masaru lit an additional cigarette, smoking two at once. "If a thing like that goes down, it's doubtful anyone within several miles are going to survive regardless."

After silence, an older Ranger-8 member spoke up. "Hopefully? That's all you've got?"

The Storm team directed their attention to him. While Storm-2 fumbled around trying to find persuasive words, Storm-1 threw his cigarettes on the ground and gave them a firm stomp, then spoke.

"It's all we've had for months."

* * *

The mothership is about to begin its attack.

The enemy is extremely powerful, and the Earth will be destroyed if they are not stopped.

We only have one hope: we must destroy their mothership now. That is the only way we can save humanity.

However the EDF has been left weak, and the enemy has the advantage; but no matter the circumstances, we have to fight!

We will never let the enemy see the EDF retreat from battle. Focus all our remaining forces on the mothership, and bring it down.

Troops: prepare for battle!

— EDF Chief Commander's motivational speech given shortly before this decisive assault.

* * *

After double-checking their equipment and fine-tuning the details of their plan, Storm-1 and Ranger-8 gathered around the helicopter before Masaru fired a burst of nanomachines. Cracks in its plating sealed shut, dents straightened themselves out, and even the paint seemed shinier. Storm-2 got in the pilot's seat and warmed the helicopter up.

"As soon as this bird goes hot, the enemy's going to know we're here. It'll be up to you guys in Ranger team to keep us alive long enough to bring that old hag down." Storm-2 yelled over the engines roaring up. Masaru squeezed into the little space left in the 1-man helicopter, fumbling to fit his oversized rifle as well.

"It's no good." He grumbled, then looked at Ranger team's youngest. "Hey kid! Catch!"

Heavy as it was, the Lysander still flew through the air with a mighty, yet effortless throw on Masaru's part. Arata didn't so much catch it as get clotheslined to the ground. "It looks like I won't be needing her anymore. Take care of my baby for me!"

The helicopter took off. Hectors in every direction whirred to life, sending balls of plasma soaring after it. Drones buzzed away from the mothership towards the helicopter and Ranger-8. The Ranger team, on their side, started whittling down drones approaching the helicopter with expert precision. Only the finest soldiers humanity had to offer were left alive at this point. The bravest. The strongest. The luckiest.

The Bazelart's own machine guns spun to life, sending metal soaring wildly through the sky in front of it, clearing a path through drones swarming thick as mud. Storm-2 fired a missile without bothering to lock onto anything. It blew up dangerously short in front of them, pushing the drones away around them, but sending the Bazelart itself to a wild spin. Storm-2's specialty was piloting, however, and he soon regained control, zooming towards the mothership's hatch.

With a loud clang, followed by a grating metal screeching echoing throughout Tokyo, the hatch began to open. A massive cannon slid out, easily a hundred meters tall. Its shadow stretched out over Ranger team, reminiscent of a sun dial; the Doomsday Clock approaching twelve.

"That's our cue, old friend!", Storm-2 strained over the helicopter noises, explosions, and lasers. He yanked the Bazelart down for a dive and up again for a rise, ducking under a massive ball of plasma barely missing their rotors. While the petals of the Genocide Cannon unfurled, the Bazelart followed one up, coming to a stop over it.

Storm-1 eyed the narrow walkway he'd have to aim for. A solid bar of cold metal. Hundreds of things could go wrong. He could miss the jump down. He could hit, then slide right off because it had no friction whatsoever. Any of those countless drones could shoot him mid-run. He could - No, there was no point worrying about it. He took a deep breath, and cleared his thoughts. "It's about time I lived up to that legend, huh?"

The Bazelart yanked sideways, avoiding another mortar Hector, then steadied back in position. "You've better make it quick." Storm-2 urged. "I'll cover the drones around you while you make a beeline for those struts." Storm-1 nodded silently, then jumped.

It could be deadly to even touch it, Masaru realised mid-jump. It was too late to think about now, but that didn't stop him from thinking about it. He braced. Landing shoulder first with a trained manouver, he rolled forward along the petal. It was too far. He fell off. By instint and panic, his arm stretched out to grab the slippery edge, and he hung on by his fingertips, his other arm clenching tightly at a satchel containing nearly half his bodyweight in high-grade explosives,

As the legendary soldier clung for his dear life by his fingertips, a drone hovered up to his level, stopping on the other side of the platform. At this range, it wasn't likely to miss.

The drone glowed red, charging for an attack.

Storm-2's helicopter was currently flying away, getting into position.

Storm-1 braced for lasers. It wasn't going to save him in any way.

A burst. A flash of white and red. With a giant, searing hole through his middle, the drone recoiled backwards, then flopped groundwise. Storm-1 looked down and behind at a puff of smoke rising he distinctly recognized as being from his own Lysander. "Nice shot, kid."

His morale reinvigorated, Masaru heaved the bag of explosives up on the platform, got a firm grip, and pulled himself up. He set into a jog up the steep, narrow catwalk leading to the base.

* * *

"He's going for it!" Arata reported to his team. He was leaning over the hood of a car to steady his newly acquired, oversized sniper rifle, following the movements of his idol closely. "He's jumped out the heli and landed on the cannon!"

"Storm team is really something else.", another Ranger member reacted. "Who jumps out of a helicopter?"

Most of the drones and hectors were focused on the Storm team, as they were closer to the mothership and causing significantly more of a ruccus. Only a few drones would saunter their way and be swiftly disposed of. They sent all the metal they had at the drones swarming around Storm-2's helicopter, but it just wasn't enough. The helicopter itself was barely even visible anymore through the drone swarm.

Explosions. Drones blasted away in front of the Bazelart, then more drones were pushed away underneath as the wrecked vehicle fell groundwards.

"They got Storm-2!"

"It looks like he fired his missiles in desperation.", Arata guessed. "The chopper's on fire, it's losing altitude fast!"

"We can't let his sacrifice go in vain. Keep Storm-1 alive at all costs!" Ranger-8's leader determined. "Shoot down every last drone posing a threat to him!"

The drones seemed to turn around, noticing Ranger-8 and was buzzing their way with ferocity, firing lasers at blinding speeds. Ranger-8 responded in kind.

"Get to cover!" their commander urged, heading for a building behind them. He was promptly buried in rubble from that building as two flashes of explosive plasma leveled it, the duel trails pointing back to a mortar hector with his cannon barrels raised, smoke still rising from them.

A ranger member yanked Arata out of his focus, just moments before a laser blast vaporized the car he'd been using. "We need to go!", he barked, firing his MMF while barely bothering to aim it. The drones were so thick you were more likely to hit a target than not just firing blindly. The remainders of Ranger-8 ran for a different building to hide behind, but they all knew it wouldn't last long.

Ranger leader, body still pinned under rubble, reached for his gun and started firing at drones. He yelled over to his squad in encouragement. "As long as these drones are busy with us, they're not firing at Storm-1. We have to survive and keep them busy until the fat lady sings, you've got that?"

Ranger team gave a salute.

"It was an honour to fight with you boys."

Arata blew away a drone careening over his commander's head. "See you in the next life, sir!"

A second volley of mortars crashed in, disintegrating their commander.

Arata scouted around, mentally checking a map made of where he'd seen the various hectors. "This building is next, it's not safe to stay here." He had the attention of Ranger team, for the lack of a better leader. "If we head south-east the mortars are going to have to dig through as many buildings as we can run past. We need to fight on the move!" With that, he darted across the street and into the alleys. What was left of Ranger-8 followed, sending precision shots behind them.

However, the mortar vollies came in faster than Ranger-8 could move. Buildings collapsed around them in every direction. Every building they reached shattered to smithereens the moment they got there. With no cover, each Ranger was easy pickings for the drones. One man fell. Then another. A blast of plasma incinerated another three. In the end, only Arata was left. He spotted a hector in the distance charging its plasma, and fired the Lysander straight through its core, sent it shattered to the ground.

That's when a plasma explosion from his left sent a building tumbling over the last surviving member of Ranger-8.

* * *

Storm-2 was approaching the ground a little too fast for his liking. The dashboard being on fire was also distressing, but a quick overview of his situation rated that at about 8th in the rank of things that would kill him first.

The drones had trapped him physically with their sheer number, presumably to hold him still for a hector to get a clean blast in. With no other option coming to him, he unleashed the helicopters missiles at point blank. It pretty much went the way he'd expected it to.

With a strained grunt, Storm-2 bent under the seat to reach for his partner's Reverse Bomber, then pulled the trigger. With a deafening thud, the launched capsule crashed against the helicopter's interior and a green, blinding smoke filled the cockpit. Despite having most of his senses obscured, he pulled at the Bazelart's control stick in an effort to regain control. Blood came rushing back into his body as the Bazelart lifted, tilting back and forth in protest. Storm-2 kicked open the door to clear nanomachine smoke out, but the nanomachine launcher slid out along with it, careening to who knows where.

There wasn't any time to worry about it. Storm-2 turned his attention, and his helicopter, towards the cannon where Storm-1 was currently doing his part of the mission. There wasn't nearly as many drones around as expected, but a few were harassing his friend nonetheless, his silhouette barely visible in the distance.

The silhouette made for a sprint. It jumped off the cannon, a concert of ten enormous explosions erupting in its wake. With each blast, the Genocide Cannon visibly creaked and twisted, before snapping clean off. It seemed as if the rest of the world went silent to make way for the overbearing roar of the Mothership's primary weapon falling to the ground. Like a gong, the cannon hit the streets of Tokyo, cracking the roads up as if they were made of styrofoam.

The pendulum of the doomsday clock echoed for all of Japan to hear, then tumbled over, crashing down over buildings and hectors alike.

Storm-2 hung in the air with his Bazelart and took it all in. His fallen friend. Their fallen foe. Then his attention turned to the mothership itself, still looming. A hole where the cannon used to hang from revealed a red, glowing orb in the ship's midst. It also revelead hundreds of fresh drones spewing out from said hole.

"I thought it wasn't going to be that easy." Storm-2 bit his lip, trying not to think about his friend who'd just died to bring that cannon down, then set full speed ahead towards the core of the mothership.

Drones came to meet him right away, packed like a wall. He spun up the gatlings on the Bazelart. Lead came flying out from the the barrels at high speeds, then stopped doing so, leaving the guns clicking empty. The missile tubes clicked just as empty.

So this was it, then.

Lasers screamed by his helicopter, then hit their target. The drones. In rapid succession drones blew up left and right from laser fire coming from the ground.

"This is Omega Team, we've arrived to back up Storm-1!", Storm-2's radio crackled.

"You guys are late." Storm-2 muttered, smiling in relief. He hadn't activated his comms to actually transmit that.

There wasn't any time for rejoice. Storm-2 continued through the breach in the drone defences, then clutched a gadget in his left hand. It was a box with only an antenna and a red button on it. Underneath the chopper blinked ten loads of C70 bobms in cascade.

"I'll make sure your legend survives, Masaru."

* * *

**2018 AD**

The EDF succesfully takes down the alien mothership.

With a bright flash, the giant spacecraft explodes into pieces.

Soon, the surviving Ravagers are also exterminated.

As peace returns to the planet, the people are heard chanting a single name.

That name is…

_E D F_


End file.
